Is it safe to fly to Newark Liberty International Airport? What officials are saying
Several equipment outages over the past two weeks at the Philadelphia-based air traffic control center that guides planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport have raised concerns on how safe it is to fly at one of the nation맥스카지노s busiest airports.
The outages 맥스카지노 with two in the past week 맥스카지노 come as anxiety around flying has spiked amid an already tumultuous year with a deadly collision and several close calls.
On Sunday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said it implemented a ground stop for flights heading to Newark because of a 맥스카지노telecommunications issue맥스카지노 affecting controllers at Philadelphia TRACON Area C. The ground stop lasted about 45 minutes, according to FAA air traffic advisories. In this case, the transportation department says a backup system kicked in.
Another 90-second-long radar and radio outage happened early Friday morning at the TRACON. Both incidents follow an outage at the same control center last month during the busy afternoon of April 28, which resulted in five air traffic controllers taking trauma leave, triggering more than a thousand canceled flights at the airport.
And flights arriving and departing Newark late Monday night were being handled by as few as three air traffic controllers.
Should passengers be concerned following the outages affecting Newark?
맥스카지노I can tell you, uncategorically, that the travel into Newark today is safe,맥스카지노 acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said Monday at a news conference.
Air traffic controllers tell CNN the recent outages put airline workers and passengers at risk, with one describing the loss of communications alone as 맥스카지노the most dangerous situation you could have.맥스카지노
맥스카지노I맥스카지노ve never seen anything like this,맥스카지노 said one Newark approach controller who has worked in air traffic control for more than 20 years and requested to remain anonymous because he is a current employee. 맥스카지노We맥스카지노re playing Russian roulette.맥스카지노
Flying is still safe 맥스카지노 in general
The outages are the latest in a turbulent year for flying, following the deadly midair collision over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a Medevac jet crash in Philadelphia and a regional airline crash off the coast of Nome, Alaska, that killed 10 people.
Those events come on the heels of deadly Jeju Air and Azerbaijan Airlines crashes in December 2024 and about a year after an alarming Boeing door panel blowout in the United States and a fiery runway collision in Japan.
In 2023, a string of near-collisions at U.S. airports spurred the creation of an independent .
Dennis Tajer, a captain and spokesperson for Allied Pilots Association, the union representing American Airlines맥스카지노 pilots, said professional pilots 맥스카지노don맥스카지노t train for everything to go well.맥스카지노
If pilots lose radio contact, there are at least two radios on airliners, and air traffic control still has several frequencies should one go out, Tajer said. There맥스카지노s even a 맥스카지노guard frequency,맥스카지노 should pilots require an emergency frequency that is heavily monitored.
맥스카지노The bottom line is, we, by regulation, have a procedure for this by training,맥스카지노 he said. 맥스카지노We are experts in the use of and we have additional equipment, such as additional radios, additional frequencies to at least make contact and speak with other aircraft.맥스카지노
The traffic collision avoidance system, or TCAS, is also available on board, to identify other planes that might be dangerously close and keep them apart, Tajer added.
Even accounting for serious accidents, air travel remains 맥스카지노the safest mode of transportation,맥스카지노 Anthony Brickhouse, a U.S.-based aviation safety expert, told CNN in March.
Should the tower not be able to broadcast, but can see the aircraft, there are also lights that can be flashed to alert pilots when to land or when to hold off, he said.
맥스카지노Statistically speaking, you맥스카지노re safer in your flight than you were driving in your car to the airport,맥스카지노 said Brickhouse, who has decades of experience in aerospace engineering, aviation safety and accident investigation.
Reports analyzed by CNN from the National Transportation Safety Board show the number of accident investigations is down for the first quarter of 2025. The NTSB led 171 civil aviation investigations from January to March 2025, which include commercial, general, rotorcraft and specialized aircraft.
During the same time frame last year, there were 185 investigations. And the first three months of 2010 to 2019 averaged 215 investigations.
맥스카지노I think this year is bad, even more, other than (Reagan National Airport), because of all the things that have come to light,맥스카지노 said CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo.
맥스카지노Without the NTSB, would we have ever known about the 15,000 near misses,맥스카지노 she told CNN in April, , with a vertical separation of less than 400 feet at Reagan National Airport.
맥스카지노That맥스카지노s shocking - we wouldn맥스카지노t have known about that,맥스카지노 she added.
A slower and safer approach
A number of issues plague America맥스카지노s aviation system including inconsistent funding, outdated technology and short-staffed facilities.
Newark has been impacted by all three factors, and the chaos has been compounded by the closure of the airport맥스카지노s busiest runway for .맥스카지노
The FAA confirmed that 맥스카지노at least three맥스카지노 air traffic controllers were working in the Newark approach control facility Monday night. At the busiest times of the day, the number of controllers could be as high as 14.
An FAA spokesperson underscored to CNN that 14 was a staffing maximum and there had not been that many controllers working during a shift for years due to the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers.
Despite these obstacles, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby tells CNN flying is still safe at Newark 맥스카지노 and nationwide 맥스카지노 because airlines are scaling back the amount of flights departing day by day.
맥스카지노What happens when there are staffing shortages or technology outages 맥스카지노 we train for those. But really what we do is we slow down the airline,맥스카지노 Kirby added. 맥스카지노We have fewer departures at every airport, so that we maintain the margin of safety everywhere that we fly.맥스카지노
Kirby delivered a similar message Monday in an email addressed to MileagePlus members who 맥스카지노live near맥스카지노 or 맥스카지노have an upcoming trip that includes맥스카지노 the airline맥스카지노s hub at Newark.
맥스카지노The truth is that all the flights in and out of (Newark) are absolutely safe,맥스카지노 Kirby said. 맥스카지노When there are (Federal Aviation Administration) issues, such as technology outages or staffing shortages, the FAA requires all airlines to fly fewer aircraft to maintain the highest levels of safety.맥스카지노
The email includes a link to a video highlighting the number of safety protocols already in place to protect passengers, such as back-up radar services and 맥스카지노advanced safety technology맥스카지노 that helps pilots see other aircraft around them.
But those booking flights for summer vacation should avoid flights through Newark, according to CNN analyst and former FAA safety inspector David Soucie, who notes that nearby airports could experience delays due to reduced traffic at Newark.
맥스카지노Until we see a reliable, repetitive nature of the flights and without delays at that airport, I would avoid it if I can,맥스카지노 Soucie added.
Summer travel is expected to be 맥스카지노dreadful,맥스카지노 according to Peter Goelz, a CNN aviation analyst and former managing director of the NTSB. 맥스카지노Particularly around the high-volume holidays of the Fourth of July and Labor Day,맥스카지노 he said.
While a reduction in the overall number of flights could mean weeks, if not months, of misery for travelers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this approach is one way airlines can maintain safety during the summertime rush.
맥스카지노Our mission is safety, and so I hate delays. I hate cancellations, and I hate families who come with little kids that are sitting there for four hours,맥스카지노 Duffy said on NBC맥스카지노s 맥스카지노Meet the Press.맥스카지노 맥스카지노But I want you to get to where you맥스카지노re traveling, and if that means slowing down flights into Newark, we slow them down to make sure we can do it safely.맥스카지노
Duffy last week plans for a 맥스카지노delay reduction meeting맥스카지노 in which airlines 맥스카지노 brought together by the FAA 맥스카지노 collaborate to reduce delays. The is set for Wednesday according to an FAA statement.
These talks have to 맥스카지노start with the FAA,맥스카지노 Soucie told CNN Sunday. 맥스카지노We can맥스카지노t rely on the air carriers to say, 맥스카지노Here맥스카지노s how much we think you can handle.맥스카지노맥스카지노
맥스카지노That맥스카지노s the FAA맥스카지노s job,맥스카지노 Soucie added.
When can we expect a fix?
On Thursday, the Department of Transportation announced a three-year-plan to build a 맥스카지노brand-new air traffic control system,맥스카지노 involving critical upgrades of communications, surveillance, automation and facilities. By 2028, more than 4,600 sites will get new high-speed network connections replacing antiquated telecommunications lines with fiber, wireless and satellite links, the department said.
맥스카지노What you saw in Newark, you will see variations of that through the airspace in the coming years, unless we undertake this mission,맥스카지노 Duffy has told CNN.
The FAA also plans to add three new 맥스카지노high-bandwidth telecommunications connections맥스카지노 from New York to Philadelphia, replace copper lines with fiber-optic technology, and deploy a backup system to provide more speed and reliability.
Duffy said the ongoing air traffic control failures began with the Biden administration and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
맥스카지노I think it is clear that the blame belongs with the last administration,맥스카지노 Duffy said during a news conference at the DOT headquarters Monday. 맥스카지노Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden did nothing to fix the system that they knew was broken.맥스카지노
Chris Meagher, a Buttigieg adviser, said Duffy 맥스카지노needs to spend more time doing what the American people are paying him to do 맥스카지노 fix problems 맥스카지노 and less time blaming others.맥스카지노
Duffy said he will ask the inspector general to open an investigation 맥스카지노into the failures of the last administration맥스카지노 and the move of controllers handling flights in and out of Newark from a New York facility to Philadelphia TRACON Area C.
Tajer called the Newark맥스카지노s disruptions the 맥스카지노volcano that맥스카지노s erupting right now,맥스카지노 but there are other volcanoes in the air travel system.
맥스카지노We맥스카지노ve got to make sure that we bring them to an inactive state by investing in these modernizations of technology,맥스카지노 he said. 맥스카지노When it comes to safety, we got your back. We don맥스카지노t fly without that confidence.맥스카지노
On Sunday, a pilot radioed the approach controller, about the same time as flights headed to Newark were halted by the ground stop, according to radio frequency recorded by the website .
맥스카지노Newark, just so you know, we맥스카지노re all rooting for you, for better equipment and more staffing.맥스카지노